Why I Think Fantastic Beasts Saved The Potterverse

This is not a review. Once the movie is out on cable I may actually do one, but as is, I don’t think I can. One because I’m still too happy about it to be critical, but also because I need to watch a movie at least three times to write a proper review. For now, this is just my immediate thoughts as a fan.

Have you guys read Harry Potter And The Cursed Child? Because I have. I wasn’t going to, but a good friend of mine sent me a pdf of her copy saying that I was going to get a good laugh out of it. And I did. The whole things reads like the stupidest idea for a fanfiction ever put into the practice. That’s not to say it’s bad; it’s definitely the ‘love and dedication put into it’ kind of fanfiction, but it’s fanfiction nonetheless.

Why am I going on about The Cursed Child, you ask? Well, because; while it was a fun read, that screenplay made me extremely concerned for the future of the Potterverse. In my mind when an author hands off the reins of their fictional world to other writers, this is the result, and then that author goes “okay, sure, I’ll sign off on that”, it’s a creative cry for help. While reading it all I could think of was a J.K Rowling so fed up with not being allowed to let go of these characters that she’s starting to resent them for it. Someone who just wants to get something out there to shut up the fans. And then maybe, MAYBE, she can move on to something else.

To those people out there so annoyed with The Cursed Child that they’re calling it an insult to the fans… I honestly believe that it was. And you know what? If it was, it was very well deserved. So shut up and take the stupid thing you were asking for. Accept it for what it is.

With all of this in mind, I was a bit iffy when I first heard of Fantastic Beasts. First of all, because I hate the Harry Potter movies; I was always very clear about that, but also because I was wondering if this was just another one of those “fine, you want more Harry Potter… HERE!” things. Then I saw the trailer and I was immediately psyched. My fears were all out the window. I knew this was going to be something special. I was 110% on board with this idea.

After watching the movie, I honestly couldn’t stop smiling. It was not only a great movie, it felt as great as reading the original series. It was that same living, breathing, magical world, but a whole new side of that magical world. It was full of new ideas and unexplored possibilities. And I thought that, yep; she found a loophole. This is still the same world from Harry Potter like we wanted, but it’s new. It’s different. It’s not more of the same ‘kids saving the world in a magical school’ formula. We evolved past that. This is a grown up Potterverse. And I’m so excited to see where it goes from here.

Above all else, though, I’m happy to see that J.K seems to have found love for her creation again. Because there was a lot of love put into this story and it shows. That’s why watching it felt like reading the original series. Because when someone writes a story that they want to tell; that they’re excited about telling, it freaking shows. It shows. And it makes me particularly happy to see as someone who grew up with this series.